Long Lake North: Worth the Detour From Minocqua?

Long Lake North refers to a waterfront vacation property area near Phillips, Wisconsin, roughly 45 to 60 minutes from Minocqua, built around beach and dock access rather than downtown convenience. If you want lake-house isolation with your own dock, it's worth the drive. If you want restaurants, shopping, and lake access within walking distance, stay closer to Minocqua instead.

Key Takeaways

• Long Lake North sits near Phillips, WI, not in Minocqua proper, and the drive between the two typically runs 45 to 60 minutes depending on route and season.
• The well-known Long Lake North Periwinkle listing is a roughly 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom condo unit that sleeps up to eight guests with sleeper sofas, according to its public listing details.
• Wisconsin has multiple lakes named Long Lake, including separate bodies of water in Oneida County and Vilas County near Minocqua, so confirming which "Long Lake" you mean matters before booking.
• Long Lake North amenities include a dock system, sandy beach, swimming platform, water toys, a rentable pontoon boat, and direct UTV/ATV/snowmobile trail access.
• Minocqua sits on the Minocqua Chain of Lakes, which provides access to over 5,600 acres of navigable water according to regional tourism data, plus a walkable downtown with dining and shopping.
• Clear Trail Properties manages lakefront and golf-adjacent cabins across Central Wisconsin's Northwoods corridor, including properties near Minocqua and Lake Tomahawk, and can help travelers weigh a remote lake stay against a town-adjacent one.

Every summer, travelers planning a Northwoods trip run into the same confusing search result: multiple lakes named "Long Lake" scattered across Wisconsin, one of them tied to a specific vacation rental near Phillips that keeps surfacing when people search near Minocqua. That confusion is worth clearing up before you book anything.

This guide breaks down where Long Lake North actually sits relative to Minocqua, what the area offers compared to staying closer to town, and which type of traveler each option suits. As of 2026, Wisconsin's Northwoods region continues to draw heavy summer traffic, and the state recorded 117.9 million tourism visits in 2026 generating $27.0 billion in economic impact, according to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Lodging, including short-term rentals, accounted for $4.6 billion of that visitor spending. Knowing exactly where you're headed before you commit to a rental matters more than ever in a crowded booking market.

We manage lakefront and woodland cabins across Central Wisconsin at Clear Trail Properties, and the "which lake, exactly" question comes up constantly from guests planning Northwoods trips. Below, we'll separate the Long Lake North property near Phillips from the Long Lake entries that show up in Oneida and Vilas County searches near Minocqua, then help you decide where to actually base your trip.

Where Is Long Lake North Located Relative to Minocqua?

Long Lake North is a waterfront vacation rental area located in Phillips, Wisconsin, not in Minocqua itself. The two towns sit roughly 45 to 60 minutes apart by car, depending on your route and time of year, which makes Long Lake North a genuine detour rather than a Minocqua neighborhood.

This distinction trips people up because search results blend several unrelated destinations. The well-known Long Lake North vacation property, along with its associated Periwinkle unit listed on Vrbo, sits on the waterfront in a small cove on Long Lake near Phillips, Price County. That's a different county and a different lake system entirely from Minocqua's home base in Oneida and Vilas counties.

Meanwhile, Minocqua itself sits on Lake Minocqua, part of the Minocqua Chain of Lakes, which surrounds the town's "Island City" downtown district. The Minocqua Chain provides access to more than 5,600 acres of easily navigable water, according to regional tourism data from The Beacons of Minocqua. Tomahawk Lake, at roughly 3,400 acres, is the largest single lake in that chain. If your trip is centered on Minocqua's downtown, restaurants, and boat traffic, Long Lake North requires a real drive, not a short hop.

What's the Difference Between Long Lake North and the Long Lakes Near Minocqua?

Wisconsin has several unrelated bodies of water named Long Lake, and at least two of them sit closer to Minocqua than the Phillips property does. Confirming which specific lake a listing or article references prevents you from booking a stay 45 minutes from where you thought you'd be.

First, there's the Long Lake tied to the Phillips vacation rental, the one this article is primarily addressing. Second, Vilas County Tourism maintains an official page for a separate Long Lake within its county boundaries, listing musky, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, panfish, and trout among its fish species, with public access via a boat ramp and a barrier-free boat ramp. Third, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources tracks a distinct 59-acre Long Lake in Oneida County with a maximum depth of 15 feet, carrying similar fish species: musky, panfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and walleye.

A regional water-quality database also lists two separate Long Lake entries within the Minocqua Chain footprint in Oneida County: one with 10.5 feet of clarity and 58 feet of depth, another with 11.3 feet of clarity and 31 feet of depth. None of these three Minocqua-area lakes is the same body of water as the Long Lake near the Phillips vacation property. If a friend recommends "Long Lake near Minocqua," ask whether they mean the Oneida County lake, the Vilas County lake, or the Phillips rental area before you plan around it.

Can We Swim in Long Lake?

Yes, swimming is a core activity at most Wisconsin lakes named Long Lake, including both the Phillips-area property and the Oneida and Vilas County lakes near Minocqua. Each location handles swimming access differently, so the details depend on which specific lake you're visiting.

At the Long Lake North property near Phillips, the listing specifically names a swimming platform as one of its shared waterfront amenities, alongside a sandy beach and dock system. That's a private-adjacent setup built into the rental experience rather than a public beach. Near Minocqua, the Oneida County and Vilas County Long Lakes both allow swimming from public access points and private shoreline, consistent with typical Wisconsin lake recreation. Vilas County's official tourism page confirms public boat-ramp access to its Long Lake, which typically corresponds to shoreline swimming opportunities as well, though water clarity and depth vary by exact location within the lake.

Water clarity data from the Minocqua Chain area shows the two Oneida County Long Lake entries at 10.5 and 11.3 feet of clarity respectively, both reasonably clear by Northwoods standards. If clear water for swimming is a priority, that data point favors the Minocqua-area lakes slightly, though neither location published data specific to Phillips' Long Lake water clarity.

What Fish Are in North Long Lake?

North Long Lake, referring to the Oneida County Long Lake tracked by the Wisconsin DNR, holds musky, panfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and walleye as its primary fish species. The lake spans 59 acres with a maximum depth of 15 feet, according to official Wisconsin DNR lake records.

For context, that species mix is fairly typical of small-to-mid-size Northwoods lakes and overlaps closely with what Vilas County's Long Lake page reports for its own lake: musky, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, panfish, and trout. Anglers targeting musky specifically should note that broader Wisconsin lake destinations, including the separate Long Lake, Wisconsin destination near the state's north-central region, market themselves heavily around musky and walleye fishing, with one tourism site calling that particular Long Lake the "Walleye Capital of Wisconsin" and describing it as stretching nearly 19 miles with 99 miles of shoreline.

None of the fishing data specific to these lakes has been published for the Phillips-area Long Lake North property itself. If fishing is your trip's main draw, the Oneida and Vilas County lakes near Minocqua have documented species lists and public boat-ramp access, which gives anglers more planning certainty than a rental-focused property page provides.

Serene nature retreat offering privacy, comfort, and stunning foliage · Sunset Getaway

What Does the Long Lake North Vacation Rental Area Actually Offer?

Long Lake North's vacation rental area near Phillips is built around shared waterfront amenities rather than a single hotel-style property. The best-documented unit, known as Periwinkle, is a roughly 2,000-square-foot condominium with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, a full kitchen, a great room, an upstairs sitting room, laundry, and extensive closet space, according to its Vrbo listing.

The Periwinkle unit sleeps six in king, queen, and twin beds, with sleeper sofas that can accommodate two more guests, bringing headline capacity to eight. Shared amenities across the Long Lake North property include a large dock system, a sandy beach, a swimming platform, water toys, a picnic area with tables, and two separate fire-ring areas, one at the picnic area and one on the beach. A pontoon boat is available to rent on-site, and each unit reportedly has its own charcoal grill and outdoor dining space.

Notably, the property markets itself to UTV, ATV, and snowmobile groups, stating it offers trail access plus trailer parking, a detail that matters if you're traveling with off-road vehicles. The nearest boat launch, per the listing, is at Elk Lake Park, and the property sits within a 10-minute walk of both Long Lake and Elk Lake. Lidice Memorial and Duroy Lake are both listed as within two miles.

Booking Rules and Logistics Worth Knowing

Check-in at the Periwinkle unit begins after 4:00 PM, with check-out before 10:00 AM, and the property enforces a minimum renter age of 23. Children ages 0 to 17 are welcome, but pets are not allowed, and there's no garage access. One sample listing search showed a starting price around CA$252 for one night for two adults, though the listing explicitly notes prices are subject to change and should always be confirmed on the live booking page rather than trusted from a cached search result.

What Does Minocqua Offer That Long Lake North Doesn't?

Minocqua offers a walkable downtown, a dense concentration of restaurants and shops, and direct access to the 5,600-plus acre Minocqua Chain of Lakes, none of which the Phillips-area Long Lake North property can match given its more remote, trail-adjacent setting. The two destinations serve genuinely different trip styles.

Minocqua's downtown sits on an island surrounded by Lake Minocqua, giving visitors lake views alongside easy foot access to dining, ice cream shops, and boutique retail. That's a meaningfully different vacation shape than a waterfront cove near Phillips built around a shared dock and beach for a handful of rental units. If your group wants to golf during the day and walk to dinner at night, or split time between lake activities and evening entertainment without driving, Minocqua's town-adjacent lodging wins on convenience every time.

Where Long Lake North pulls ahead is trail access. The property specifically caters to UTV, ATV, and snowmobile travelers with dedicated trailer parking, a niche that Minocqua's more polished, tourist-oriented lodging doesn't always emphasize as heavily. If your trip revolves around off-road trail riding rather than lake-town browsing, that trade-off may tip in Phillips' favor despite the extra drive time.

Is the Drive From Minocqua to Long Lake North Worth It?

The drive from Minocqua to Long Lake North near Phillips is worth it specifically for travelers prioritizing a private, dock-and-beach waterfront setup with trail access over walkable downtown amenities. For travelers who want restaurants, shopping, and lake recreation without an extra 45 to 60 minute drive, staying near Minocqua makes more sense.

Consider the trade-off in concrete terms. A group hauling UTVs or snowmobiles that wants trailer parking and direct trail access built into the property gains real value from the Phillips location, since that infrastructure isn't guaranteed at every Minocqua-area rental. A family wanting a beach and a swimming platform without renting a boat gets both at Long Lake North, plus a pontoon rental option on-site.

On the other hand, a couple wanting dinner reservations, live music, or an evening stroll through town loses that entirely by basing themselves an hour outside Minocqua. Groups that plan to bounce between golf, dining, and the lake in the same day should weight heavily toward staying closer to town, since the extra 90-plus minutes of round-trip driving eats into actual vacation time fast.

As a general planning rule: if your itinerary has more than two "into town" trips planned per day, the detour to Long Lake North probably costs you more time than it's worth. If your itinerary is built around staying put at the water and doing one or two day trips total, the drive matters much less.

Cozy lakeside cabin living room with warm fireplace. · Sunset Getaway

Where Should Different Types of Travelers Stay?

The right base for a Northwoods Wisconsin trip depends on your group's priorities: waterfront seclusion, trail access, downtown convenience, or golf proximity. Matching your itinerary to the right lodging area matters more than chasing a specific lake name.

Families with young kids generally do better staying closer to Minocqua's amenities, where pharmacies, grocery stores, and quick restaurant options are minutes away rather than an hour's drive. Anglers targeting musky or walleye should look at the documented species data for the Oneida County and Vilas County Long Lakes near Minocqua before assuming the Phillips property offers comparable fishing, since no fish-species data has been published specifically for that location. UTV, ATV, and snowmobile groups traveling with trailers get a genuine logistical advantage at Long Lake North given its stated trail access and trailer parking.

Golf travelers heading toward Sand Valley or Lake Arrowhead courses further south should skip the Long Lake North detour altogether; it sits in the wrong direction for that trip. Groups splitting time between Northwoods lake recreation and Central Wisconsin golf trips are better served by properties positioned closer to the golf corridor itself. Clear Trail Properties manages several cabins in that exact niche, including Tomahawk Trail, a five-bedroom retreat in the Lake Arrowhead community minutes from Sand Valley Golf Resort, and Queensway, a lakefront cabin near five area lakes with a private dock close to downtown Rome dining.

How Does This Compare to Other Wisconsin Vacation Rental Markets?

Wisconsin's short-term rental market varies significantly by region, and understanding those differences helps explain why a remote property like Long Lake North operates differently from town-adjacent lodging near Minocqua. Seasonal demand, occupancy patterns, and pricing all shift based on proximity to amenities versus proximity to recreation.

In the Nekoosa and Sand Valley golf corridor, further south of Minocqua, short-term rental data from AirDNA shows 42% average occupancy in 2026, up 4% over the prior year. StaySTRA market data for that same Nekoosa area reports 60.1% occupancy with a $293.06 average daily rate and $4,359 average monthly revenue per listing as of June 2026, with seasonality swinging from 35% occupancy in March up to 70% in July. That kind of seasonal swing is common across Wisconsin's lake and golf destinations, including the Minocqua area, where summer demand dramatically outpaces shoulder-season bookings.

The table below summarizes the practical differences between basing your trip near Long Lake North versus staying closer to Minocqua's town center.

What Should You Check Before Booking Near Long Lake or Minocqua?

Before booking any Wisconsin lake rental, confirm the exact lake name, county, and driving distance from your intended activities rather than trusting a general "near Minocqua" claim in a listing title. This single step prevents the most common booking regret in this specific market.

First, search the property's address directly, not just its listing name, since "Long Lake" alone returns results in Phillips, Oneida County, and Vilas County, all unrelated to each other. Second, confirm minimum age requirements and pet policies early; the Long Lake North Periwinkle unit, for example, requires renters to be at least 23 and does not allow pets. Third, verify whether trail access, boat rentals, or beach amenities are truly included versus optional add-ons, since shared-amenity properties sometimes bundle these differently than standalone cabins.

Additionally, always check the live booking page for current nightly rates rather than relying on a cached price, since even the sample pricing referenced in this article was explicitly noted as subject to change. If you're comparing a remote lake property against Minocqua-area lodging, map the actual driving route rather than estimating from a straight-line distance; Northwoods roads often add real time compared to highway travel further south.

Start your mornings with fresh coffee at your fingertips, complete with a Keurig and plenty of pods for easy, cozy wake-ups. · Wildwood Retreat

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Long Lake North the same lake as the one near Minocqua?

No. Long Lake North is a vacation rental area near Phillips, Wisconsin, in Price County, while Minocqua's nearby "Long Lake" entries are separate bodies of water in Oneida County and Vilas County. All three carry the same generic name but are distinct lakes roughly an hour or more apart in some cases.

How far is Long Lake North from Minocqua?

The drive typically runs 45 to 60 minutes depending on your exact route and time of year. It's a genuine day-trip distance rather than a short hop, so factor that into any itinerary that involves splitting time between the two areas.

Can we swim in Long Lake?

Yes. The Long Lake North property near Phillips includes a dedicated swimming platform alongside its sandy beach, and both the Oneida County and Vilas County Long Lakes near Minocqua allow swimming from public and private access points.

What fish are in North Long Lake?

North Long Lake in Oneida County holds musky, panfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and walleye, according to Wisconsin DNR lake records. The nearby Vilas County Long Lake reports a similar mix plus smallmouth bass and trout.

Are there any cottages available near Long Lake North?

Yes, the best-documented Long Lake North rental is a condominium-style unit called Periwinkle, sleeping up to eight guests across three bedrooms with waterfront amenities including a dock, beach, and pontoon rental. Availability and pricing change regularly, so confirm current listings directly rather than relying on older search results.

Does Long Lake North allow pets or have an age requirement?

Based on the Periwinkle listing, pets are not allowed and renters must be at least 23 years old. Children ages 0 to 17 are welcome to stay with adult guests.

Should I stay near Minocqua instead of driving to Long Lake North?

If your trip centers on restaurants, shopping, or a walkable downtown, staying near Minocqua saves significant driving time. If you specifically want a shared beach, dock, and UTV/ATV/snowmobile trail access, the drive to Long Lake North near Phillips may be worth it.

The Bottom Line on Long Lake North Versus Minocqua

Long Lake North near Phillips delivers a genuinely different vacation than staying in Minocqua proper: a shared dock and beach setup with trail access, roughly 45 to 60 minutes removed from downtown convenience. Neither destination is objectively better; they simply serve different itineraries. Trail riders and seclusion-focused families gain real value from the detour, while multi-activity groups and diners lose more time than they gain.

Before booking, always confirm exactly which "Long Lake" a listing references, since Wisconsin has at least three unrelated lakes carrying that name across Price, Oneida, and Vilas counties. As Wisconsin's tourism numbers continue climbing in 2026, that kind of due diligence matters more, not less, in a market where popular listings book up fast.

If your Northwoods trip includes golf near Sand Valley or Lake Arrowhead in addition to lake time, staying at a property positioned for both saves you the extra driving that Long Lake North requires.

Wake up knowing the lake is right outside. Grab your coffee and watch the morning light hit the water from this living room — the binoculars are on the table for a reason. · Queensway

Whether you're weighing a remote lake stay against a Minocqua-adjacent base, or planning to combine golf and lake time in one trip, Clear Trail Properties manages lakefront and woodland cabins across Central Wisconsin's Northwoods and Sand Valley corridor, including properties near Lake Tomahawk and the Lake Arrowhead community. With local, on-the-ground teams in markets like Wausau, Rome, and Minocqua, we help travelers find the right base rather than guessing between lookalike lake names. Reach out to Clear Trail Properties to talk through which property fits your itinerary.

Written by Ashley Lang, Owner, CEO at Clear Trail Properties